Electronic device and method for forming the same

ABSTRACT

An electronic device is provided, including: a first substrate, a plurality of phase shifters, a second substrate, a plurality of patches, a common electrode layer, a dielectric layer, and a liquid-crystal layer. The plurality of phase shifters are disposed on the first substrate. The second substrate has an inner side facing the first substrate. The plurality of patches are disposed on the inner side of the second substrate. The dielectric layer is disposed between the common electrode layer and the second substrate and on the plurality of patches. The liquid-crystal layer is disposed between the plurality of phase shifters and the common electrode layer.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority of China Patent Application No.201910871259.6, filed on Sep. 16, 2019, the entirety of which isincorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present disclosure relates to an electronic device and a method forforming the same, and in particular, to an antenna device and a methodfor forming the same.

Description of the Related Art

Electronic products have become necessities in modern society. With theflourishing development of these electronic products, consumers havehigh expectations regarding the quality, functionality, or price.

Some electronic products are further equipped with communicationcapabilities, such as antenna devices, but they have not beensatisfactory in all respects. Therefore, the development of a structuraldesign that can further improve the performance or operationalreliability of electronic products or devices is still one of the goalsthat the industry is currently aiming at.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An embodiment of the present disclosure provides an electronic device,including: a first substrate; a plurality of phase shifters disposed onthe first substrate; a second substrate having an inner side facing thefirst substrate; a plurality of patches disposed on the inner side ofthe second substrate; a common electrode layer; a dielectric layerdisposed between the common electrode layer and the second substrate andon the plurality of patches; and a liquid-crystal layer disposed betweenthe plurality of phase shifters and the common electrode layer.

To clarify the features or advantages of the present disclosure, adetailed description is given in the following embodiments withreference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure can be more fully understood by reading thesubsequent detailed description and examples with references made to theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a top view of an electronic device in accordance with someembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 shows a partial perspective view of an electronic device inaccordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of an electronic device inaccordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of an electronic device inaccordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of an electronic device inaccordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of an electronic device inaccordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 shows a cross-sectional view of an electronic device inaccordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 shows a cross-sectional view of an electronic device inaccordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 shows a cross-sectional view of an electronic device inaccordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 shows a cross-sectional view of an electronic device inaccordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 11A-11H show cross-sectional views of intermediate stages in theprocess of an electronic device in accordance with some embodiments ofthe present disclosure.

FIGS. 12A-12F show cross-sectional views of intermediate stages in theprocess of an electronic device in accordance with some embodiments ofthe present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The electronic device of the present disclosure and the manufacturingmethod thereof are described in detail in the following description. Inthe following detailed description, for purposes of explanation,numerous specific details and embodiments are set forth in order toprovide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. The specificelements and configurations described in the following detaileddescription are set forth in order to clearly describe the presentdisclosure. It will be apparent that the exemplary embodiments set forthherein are used merely for the purpose of illustration. In addition, thedrawings of different embodiments may use like and/or correspondingnumerals to denote like and/or corresponding elements in order toclearly describe the present disclosure. However, the use of like and/orcorresponding numerals in the drawings of different embodiments does notsuggest any correlation between different embodiments.

It should be understood that the elements or devices in the drawings ofthe present disclosure may be present in any form or configuration knownto those with ordinary skill in the art. In addition, in theembodiments, relative expressions are used. For example, “lower”,“bottom”, “higher” or “top” are used to describe the position of oneelement relative to another. It should be appreciated that if a deviceis flipped upside down, an element that is “lower” will become anelement that is “higher”. It should be understood that the descriptionsof the exemplary embodiments are intended to be read in connection withthe accompanying drawings, which are to be considered part of the entirewritten description. The drawings are not drawn to scale. In fact, thesize of the element may be arbitrarily enlarged or reduced in order toclearly express the features of the present disclosure.

In addition, the expressions “a first material layer is disposed on orover a second material layer” may indicate the first material layer isin direct contact with the second material layer, or the first materiallayer is not in direct contact with the second material layer, therebeing one or more intermediate layers disposed between the firstmaterial layer and the second material layer.

It should be understood that, although the terms “first”, “second”,“third” etc. may be used herein to describe various elements,components, or portions, these elements, components, or portions shouldnot be limited by these terms. These terms are used to distinguish oneelement, component, or portion from another element, component, orportion. Thus, a first element, component, or portion discussed belowcould be termed a second element, component, or portion withoutdeparting from the teachings of the present disclosure.

The terms “about”, “approximately”, “substantially”, “roughly” typicallymean+/−10% of the stated value, or +/−5% of the stated value, or +/−3%of the stated value, or +/−2% of the stated value, or +/−1% of thestated value, or +/−0.5% of the stated value. The stated value of thepresent disclosure is an approximate value. When there is no specificdescription, the stated value includes the meaning of “about”,“approximately”, “substantially”, “roughly”. Furthermore, the terms “arange from a first value to a second value” and “a range between a firstvalue and a second value” mean that the range includes the first value,the second value, and other values therebetween.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, terms concerningattachments, coupling and the like, such as “connected” and“interconnected”, refer to a relationship wherein structures are securedor attached to one another either directly or indirectly throughintervening structures, as well as both movable or rigid attachments orrelationships, unless expressly described otherwise. In addition, theterm “coupled” include any method of direct and indirect electricalconnection.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used hereinhave the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill inthe art to which this disclosure belongs. It should be appreciated that,in each case, the term, which is defined in a commonly used dictionary,should be interpreted as having a meaning that conforms to the relativeskills of the present disclosure and the background or the context ofthe present disclosure, and should not be interpreted in an idealized oroverly formal manner unless so defined.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the providedmanufacturing method of an electronic device may form a patch and acommon electrode on the same side (single side) of a substrate. Comparedwith the process of forming metal layers on both sides of the substrate,the provided method may reduce the risk of deterioration of modulationmaterials or substrate cracks due to the processing temperature, butit's not limited thereto. Furthermore, according to some embodiments ofthe present disclosure, the electronic device formed by themanufacturing method may reduce the dielectric loss of electromagneticwaves or improve operational reliability.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the electronicdevice may include an antenna device, a liquid-crystal display device, asensing device, a light emitting device, a tiled device, other suitabledevices, or a combination thereof, but it's not limited thereto. Theelectronic device may be a bendable or a flexible electronic device. Theantenna device may be, for example, a liquid-crystal antenna, but it'snot limited thereto. The tiled device may be, for example, a tiledantenna device, but it is not limited thereto. It should be understoodthat the electronic device may be any combination of the devicesdescribed above, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

Referring to FIG. 1, a top view of an electronic device 10A inaccordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Itshould be understood that some elements are omitted for clarity and aportion of the modulation unit 100A of the electronic device 10A isillustrated in FIG. 1 schematically. Furthermore, a portion of thecoplanar waveguide 203 is also omitted in FIG. 1, and the coplanarwaveguide 203 may overlap one side of the phase shifter 104 (such as oneside adjacent to the feeding line 400B) in a normal direction (e.g., theZ direction) of the first substrate 102. In some embodiments, thecoplanar waveguide 203 may be partially overlapped with the feeding line400B. For example, the coplanar waveguide 203 may be disposed on thesecond substrate 202 (illustrated in FIG. 2), but it is not limitedthereto. In the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified,“overlap” may include “overlap” and “partially overlap”. In differentembodiments, the number of the modulation unit 100A of the electronicdevice 10A can be adjusted based on practical requirements. In addition,it should be understood that additional features may be added to theelectronic device 10A described below in accordance with someembodiments. In other embodiments, some features of the electronicdevice 10A described below may be replaced or omitted.

As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic device 10A may include a firstsubstrate 102 and a plurality of modulation units 100A disposed on thefirst substrate 102. In some embodiments, the electronic device 10A maybe an antenna device, and the modulation unit 100A may be an antennaunit for modulating electromagnetic waves (e.g., radio frequency ormicrowave).

In some embodiments, the material of first substrate 102 may includeglass, quartz, sapphire, ceramic, polyimide (PI), liquid-crystal polymer(LCP) material, polycarbonate (PC), photosensitive polyimide (PSPI),polyethylene terephthalate (PET), other suitable materials, or acombination thereof, but it's not limited thereto. In some embodiments,the first substrate 102 may include a printed circuit board (PCB). Insome embodiments, the first substrate 102 may include a flexiblesubstrate, a rigid substrate, or a combination thereof.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1, according to some embodiments, theelectronic device 10A may include a feeding structure 400, and thefeeding structure 400 may be disposed on the first substrate 102 totransmit electromagnetic wave signals. In some embodiments, the feedingstructure 400 has a feeding source 400A and a feeding line 400B. Thefeeding line 400B may be coupled to the feeding source 400A, and feedingsource 400A may provide an initial feeding wave. In an embodiment, onefeeding line 400B may be coupled to a plurality of feeding sources 400A,but it's not limited thereto. In another embodiment, a plurality offeeding lines 400B may be coupled to one feeding source 400A, but it isnot limited thereto. In some embodiments, the feeding structure 400 hasa plurality of feeding sources 400A, the plurality of feeding sources400A may be coupled to a plurality of feeding lines 400B, but it's notlimited thereto. In some embodiments, the initial feeding wave may be ahigh frequency electromagnetic wave, but it is not limited thereto. Inaddition, the feeding structure 400 may be further coupled to a signalprocessor, a signal modulator, or a combination thereof (not shown) insome embodiments.

In some embodiments, the feeding structure 400 may include a conductivematerial, such as metal conductive material. In some embodiments, themetal conductive material may include Cu, Ag, Sn, Al, Mo, W, Au, Cr, Ni,Pt, Ti, copper alloy, silver alloy, tin alloy, aluminum alloy,molybdenum alloy, tungsten alloy, gold alloy, chromium alloy, nickelalloy, platinum alloy, titanium alloy, other suitable conductivematerials, or a combination thereof, but it's not limited thereto.

In addition, the electronic device 10A may include a plurality of phaseshifters 104 (or referred to as a microstrip line), and the phaseshifters 104 may be disposed on the first substrate 102. The phaseshifters 104 may be adjacent to the feeding structure 400, and the phaseshifters 104 may have a spiral shape or a loop shape, but it's notlimited thereto. At least one of the phase shifters 104 may be used toreceive electromagnetic wave signals from the feeding structure 400, forexample, through the feeding line 400B, an electromagnetic wave signalmay be coupled to a phase shifter 104 in a manner of an induced currentby the feeding structure 400 via the coplanar waveguide 203. However, inother embodiments, a phase shifter 104 may also be used to feed out aprocessed or modulated electromagnetic wave signal, for example, to feedout an electromagnetic wave signal to the feeding line 400B. Morespecifically, an electric or magnetic field between a phase shifter 104and a common electrode layer 208 may be changed by adjusting thepotential of the phase shifter 104 to modulate the refractive index ofthe modulation material on or around the phase shifter 104, and tofurther change the phase difference of the passing electromagneticwaves. In another embodiment, an electric or magnetic field between aphase shifter 104 and a common electrode layer 208 may be changed byadjusting the potential of the phase shifter 104 to modulate thedielectric coefficient of the modulation material on or around the phaseshifter 104, and to further change the capacitance.

In some embodiments, the material of the phase shifter 104 may include ametal conductive material, a transparent conductive material, or acombination thereof. The metal conductive material is similar to themetal conductive material of the feeding structure 400, which will notbe repeated here. The transparent conductive material may include atransparent conductive oxide (TCO). For example, the transparentconductive oxide may include indium tin oxide (ITO), tin oxide (SnO),zinc oxide (ZnO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), indium gallium zinc oxide(IGZO), indium tin zinc oxide (ITZO), antimony tin oxide (ATO), antimonyzinc oxide (AZO), other suitable transparent conductive materials, or acombination thereof, but it's not limited thereto.

In addition, the phase shifter 104 may be further electrically connectedto a driving element (not shown) according to some embodiments. In someembodiments, the driving element may include an active driving element(e.g., thin film transistor, TFT), a passive driving element, or acombination thereof. Specifically, in some embodiments, the phaseshifter 104 may be electrically connected to a thin film transistor, andthe thin film transistor may be further electrically connected to a dataline and/or a scanning line (gate line). In some embodiments, the phaseshifter 104 may be electrically connected to an integrated circuit (IC)and/or a digital to analog converter.

Furthermore, the electronic device 10A may include a patch 204 which maybe disposed on the phase shifter 104. In some embodiments, the patch 204may partially overlap the phase shifter 104 in a normal direction (e.g.,Z direction) of the first substrate 102. Further, in some embodiments,the patch 204 may overlap one end of the phase shifter 104 in a normaldirection (e.g., Z direction) of the first substrate 102, but it's notlimited thereto. In another embodiment, the patch 204 may not overlapthe end of the phase shifter 104, but overlap other portions of thephase shifter 104. In some embodiments, the patch 204 may beelectrically floated, coupled to a given potential (e.g., ground or a DCsignal), or other functional circuits, but the present disclosure is notlimited thereto.

In some embodiments, the material of the patch 204 may include a metalconductive material, a transparent conductive material, or a combinationthereof. The metal conductive material and the transparent conductivematerial are similar to the material of the phase shifter 104, whichwill not be repeated here.

Next, FIG. 2 shows a partial perspective view of the electronic device10A in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Itshould be understood that, for clarity, partial elements of themodulation unit 100A in FIG. 1 is illustrated in FIG. 2. As shown inFIG. 2, in some embodiments, the modulation unit 100A may include afirst substrate 102, a feeding line 400B and a phase shifter 104disposed on the first substrate 102. As shown in FIG. 2, in someembodiments, one end of the feeding line 400B may correspond to one endof the phase shifter 104, but the present disclosure is not limitedthereto.

Furthermore, in some embodiments, the modulation unit 100A may furtherinclude a second substrate 202, a patch 204, and a common electrodelayer 208. The second substrate 202 may be disposed opposite to thefirst substrate 102, and the common electrode layer 208 and the patch204 may be disposed between the first substrate 102 and the secondsubstrate 202.

In some embodiments, the material of the second substrate 202 may besimilar to the material of the first substrate 102, which will not bedescribed here again. In addition, the material of the second substrate202 may be the same as or different from that of the first substrate102.

Furthermore, in accordance with some embodiments, both the firstsubstrate 102 and second substrate 202 may be flexible substrates suchthat the flexibility and the plasticity of the entire electronic device10A may be improved, which facilitates surface mounting on variousarticles, for example, cars, motorcycles, airplanes, ships, buildings,or other applicable articles, but the present disclosure is not limitedthereto.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2, the common electrode layer 208 may havean opening 208 p, and the patch 204 partially overlaps the opening 208 pin a normal direction Z of the first substrate 102. In addition, an endof the phase shifter 104 may overlap the opening 208 p in someembodiments, but it's not limited thereto. According to someembodiments, the capacitance and/or the phase difference may be adjustedby applying different electric fields to the modulation material in themodulation unit 100A (e.g., a liquid-crystal layer 300 in the subsequentfigures) to control the transmission direction or other parameters ofthe electromagnetic wave signal passing through the opening 208 p andthe patch 204. The structure of the electronic device 10A is describedbelow in further detail.

FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the electronic device 10A inaccordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.Specifically, FIG. 3 illustrates a cross-sectional view of themodulation unit 100A along the section line A-A′ in FIG. 1. As describedabove, the electronic device 10A includes the first substrate 102 andthe second substrate 202. In detail, the first substrate 102 is disposedopposite to the second substrate 202. The first substrate 102 has aninner side 102 a facing the second substrate 202 and an outer side 102 bopposite to the inner side 102 a. Similarly, the second substrate 202has an inner side 202 a facing the first substrate 102 and an outer side202 b opposite to the inner side 202 a.

Furthermore, the first substrate 102 may have a first thickness T₁ andthe second substrate 202 may have a second thickness T₂. In someembodiments, the first thickness T₁ of the first substrate 102 may begreater than or equal to the second thickness T₂ of the second substrate202. It should be noted that the second thickness T₂ may be less thanthe first thickness T₁ according to some embodiments. Since the secondsubstrate 202 is the main substrate through which electromagnetic wavesignals pass, the dielectric loss of electromagnetic wave signalsentering the patch 204 from outside or radiating outwardly from thepatch 204 may be reduced, but it is not limited thereto.

Moreover, according to some embodiments of present disclosure, “thefirst thickness T₁” of the first substrate 102 and “the second thicknessT₂” of the second substrate 202 refer to the maximum thickness of thefirst substrate 102 and the maximum thickness of the second substrate202 in a normal direction Z of the first substrate 102 respectively.

In addition, in accordance with the embodiments of the presentdisclosure, an optical microscopy (OM), a scanning electron microscope(SEM), a film thickness profiler (α-step), an ellipsometer, or othersuitable methods may be used to measure the thickness or width of eachelement, or distance between the elements. Specifically, in someembodiments, after the liquid-crystal layer 300 is removed, a scanningelectron microscope may be used to obtain any cross-sectional image ofthe structure and measure the thickness or width of each element, ordistance between the elements in the image.

As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, in some embodiments, the phase shifter104 may be disposed on the inner side 102 a of the first substrate 102.In some embodiments, the patch 204 may be disposed on the inner side 202a of the second substrate 202. As described above, in some embodiments,the patch 204 may overlap the phase shifter 104 in a normal direction Zof the first substrate 102.

Besides, the electronic device 10A may include a dielectric layer 206and a common electrode layer 208 disposed between the first substrate102 and second substrate 202. As shown in FIG. 3, the dielectric layer206 may be disposed between the common electrode layer 208 and thesecond substrate 202, and disposed on the patch 204. For example, thepatch 204 may be disposed between the second substrate 202 and thedielectric layer 206. Specifically, the dielectric layer 206 may bedisposed adjacent to the second substrate 202, and the dielectric layer206 has an inner side 206 a facing the first substrate 102 and an outerside 206 b opposite to the inner side 206 a. In some embodiments, thepatch 204 may be adjacent to the outer side 206 b of the dielectriclayer 206, and the common electrode layer 208 may be adjacent to theinner side 206 a of the dielectric layer 206. The patch 204 and thecommon electrode layer 208 may be separated from each other by thedielectric layer 206. In some embodiments, the patch 204 may besurrounded by the dielectric layer 206. In some embodiments, the patch204 may be disposed in the dielectric layer 206.

In some embodiments, the material of the dielectric layer 206 mayinclude an organic material, an inorganic material, or a combinationthereof, but it's not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the organicmaterial may include polyimide (PI), polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA),polyethylene terephthalate (PET), liquid-crystal polymer (LCP) material,polyethylene (PE), polyethersulfone (PES), polycarbonate (PC), isoprene,phenol-formaldehyde resin, benzocyclobutene (BCB), perfluorocyclobutane(PECB), other suitable materials, or a combination thereof, but it's notlimited thereto. In some embodiments, the inorganic material may includesilicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, aluminum oxide,aluminum nitride, aluminum oxynitride, titanium oxide, other suitablematerials, or a combination thereof, but it's not limited thereto.

As shown in FIG. 3, in some embodiments, the dielectric layer 206 mayhave a single-layer structure. However, in other embodiments, thedielectric layer 206 may have a multilayer structure. Specifically,according to some embodiments, the number of the multilayer structure ofthe dielectric layer 206 may range from 2 layers to 50 layers (2≤thenumber≤50), 2 layers to 40 layers, 3 layers to 30 layers, 4 layers to 20layers, or 5 layers to 15 layers, such as 6 layers, 7 layers, 8 layers,9 layers, 10 layers, 11 layers, 12 layers, 13 layers, 14 layers, etc.,but it's not limited thereto. In some embodiments, each layer of thedielectric layer 206 having a multilayer structure may include samematerial or different materials, or some layers of the dielectric layer206 having a multilayer structure may include the same material and theother layers of the dielectric layer 206 having a multilayer structuremay include different materials. Furthermore, in some embodiments, thedielectric layer 206 may include at least one polyimide film, but it'snot limited thereto.

According to some embodiments, the dielectric layer 206 may have amultilayer structure, and the material of the layer closest to thecommon electrode layer 208 (or the layer in contact with the commonelectrode layer 208 layer) may include silicon oxide, silicon nitride,other suitable materials, or a combination thereof, but it's not limitedthereto. In these embodiments, the difference in coefficient of thermalexpansion (CTE) between the dielectric layer 206 and the commonelectrode layer 208 may be reduced, and thereby the warpage problem ofthe second substrate 202 may be improved.

Furthermore, the dielectric layer 206 may have a third thickness T₃. Insome embodiments, the third thickness T₃ of the dielectric layer 206 maybe greater than or equal to 5 μm, and less than or equal to the secondthickness T₂ of the second substrate 202 (i.e., 5 μm≤third thicknessT₃≤second thickness T₂). In some embodiments, the third thickness T₃ ofthe dielectric layer 206 may be greater than or equal to 0.01 times ofthe wavelength λ of the electromagnetic wave modulated by the electronicdevice 10A, and less than or equal to the wavelength λ of theelectromagnetic wave modulated by the electronic device 10A (i.e.,0.01λ≤third thickness T₃≤λ) such as 0.05λ, 0.1λ, 0.3λ, 0.5λ, 0.7λ, or0.9λ. For example, the third thickness T₃ may range from 0.02 times to0.5 times of the wavelength λ of the electromagnetic wave modulated bythe electronic device 10A (0.02λ≤T₃≤0.5λ).

It should be understood that if the third thickness T₃ of the dielectriclayer 206 is too small (e.g., less than 5 μm or 0.01λ), the distancebetween the patch 204 and the common electrode layer 208 may be tooshort, resulting in a reduction of the radiation efficiency ofelectromagnetic waves; on the other hand, if the third thickness T₃ ofthe dielectric layer 206 is too large (e.g., greater than the secondthickness T₂ or λ), the intensity of the induced electromagnetic fieldmay not be sufficient to radiate.

Moreover, according to some embodiments of present disclosure, “thethird thickness T₃” of the dielectric layer 206 refers to the maximumthickness of the dielectric layer 206 in a normal direction Z of thefirst substrate 102.

As described above, the electronic device 10A includes a commonelectrode layer 208, as shown in FIG. 3. The common electrode layer 208may be patterned to have an opening 208 p, the opening 208 p may exposea portion of the inner side 206 a of the dielectric layer 206. Inaddition, the opening 208 p may correspond to the patch 204, forexample, the patch 204 may overlap the opening 208 p in a normaldirection Z of the first substrate 102. Besides, in some embodiments,the common electrode layer 208 may be electrically grounded. In oneembodiment, the common electrode layer 208 corresponding to an end ofthe phase shifter 104 may be patterned to form a coplanar waveguide 203(shown in FIG. 1).

In some embodiments, the material of the common electrode layer 208 mayinclude a metal conductive material, a transparent conductive material,or a combination thereof. The metal conductive material and thetransparent conductive material may be similar to the material of thephase shifter 104, which will not be repeated here.

As shown in FIG. 3, in some embodiments, the patch 204 may have a firstwidth W₁, and the opening 208 p of the common electrode layer 208 mayhave a second width W₂. In some embodiments, the second width W₂ of theopening 208 p may be greater than or equal to the first width W₁ of thepatch 204 in a first direction (e.g., X direction); the width of theopening 208 p may be less than or equal to the width of the patch 204 ina second direction (e.g., Y direction), which may help electromagneticwave signals pass through the opening 208 p and transmit to the patch204. The first direction may be different from the second direction. Forexample, the first direction may be substantially perpendicular to thesecond direction.

It should be understood that, according to some embodiments of thepresent disclosure, the first direction may be an extension direction ofthe opening 208 p, but it's not limited thereto. In addition, the firstdirection may be the length direction of the opening 208 p, but it's notlimited thereto. According to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure, the “length direction” refers to a direction along orsubstantially parallel to the long axis of an object. The long axis maybe closest to the maximum lengthwise dimension of the object. For anobject without a specific long axis, the long axis may be the long sideof the minimum rectangle that can surround the object.

As shown in FIG. 3, according to some embodiments, the patch 204 and thecommon electrode layer 208 may both be disposed on the inner side 202 aof the second substrate 202. In other words, the patch 204 and thecommon electrode layer 208 are disposed on the same side of the secondsubstrate 202, but it's not limited thereto.

It should be noted that, an electronic device with the patch 204 and thecommon electrode layer 208 on respective two sides of the secondsubstrate 202 has to experience a longer period of a metal coatingprocess (e.g., a back-coating process) at a high temperature, which mayincrease the risk of deterioration of modulation materials or substratecracks due to a high processing temperature. According to someembodiments of the present disclosure, the patch 204 and the commonelectrode layer 208 disposed on a single side of the second substrate202 may reduce the risk of deterioration of modulation materials orsubstrate cracks due to a high processing temperature. The manufacturingmethod of the electronic device 10A is described below in more detail.

In addition, referring to FIG. 3, the electronic device 10A includes aliquid-crystal layer 300. The liquid-crystal layer 300 may be disposedbetween the first substrate 102 and the second substrate 202, and theliquid-crystal layer 300 may be disposed between the phase shifter 104and the common electrode layer 208. As described above, according tosome embodiments, the capacitance and the phase difference may beadjusted by applying different electric fields to the liquid-crystallayer 300 to control the transmission direction of the electromagneticsignal passing through the opening 208 p and the patch 204.

In some embodiments, the material of the liquid-crystal layer 300 mayinclude nematic liquid crystal, smectic liquid crystal, cholesterolliquid crystal, blue-phase liquid crystal, other suitable liquid-crystalmaterial, or a combination thereof, but it's not limited thereto.However, according to other embodiments, a material having a refractiveindex that can be modulated may be used to replace the liquid-crystallayer 300, e.g., a transition metal nitride, an electro-optics material,or a combination thereof, but it's not limited thereto. For example, theelectro-optics material may include lithium LiNbO₃, LiTaO₃, CdTe,NH₄H₂PO₄, KH₂PO₄, potassium tantalate niobate (KTN), lead zirconatetitanate (PZT), transition metal nitrides (such as TiN, HfN, TaN, orZrN), or a combination thereof, but it's not limited thereto. In oneembodiment, the liquid-crystal layer 300 may include isothiocyanate, orother functional groups with high polarity, but it's not limitedthereto.

Referring to FIG. 3, in some embodiments, the electronic device 10A mayfurther include a first buffer layer 106, the first buffer layer 106 maybe disposed between the first substrate 102 and the phase shifter 104.For example, in some embodiments, the first buffer layer 106 may be incontact with the inner side 102 a of the first substrate 102 and thephase shifter 104. The first buffer layer 106 may reduce the differencein coefficient of thermal expansion between the first substrate 102 andthe phase shifter 104, and thereby the warpage problem of the firstsubstrate 102 may be improved.

In some embodiments, the electronic device 10A may further include asecond buffer layer 210, the second buffer layer 210 may be disposedbetween the second substrate 202 and the patch 204. In some embodiments,the second buffer layer 210 may be in contact with the inner side 202 aof second substrate 202, the patch 204, and the dielectric layer 206.The second buffer layer 210 may reduce the difference in coefficient ofthermal expansion between the second substrate 202 and the patch 204,and thereby the warpage problem of the second substrate 202 may beimproved.

In some embodiments, the first buffer layer 106 and the second bufferlayer 210 may include an insulating material. In some embodiments, thematerial of the first buffer layer 106 and the second buffer layer 210may include an organic material, an inorganic material, or a combinationthereof, but it's not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the organicmaterial may include polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene(PE), polyethersulfone (PES), polycarbonate (PC), polymethylmethacrylate(PMMA), isoprene, phenol-formaldehyde resin, benzocyclobutene (BCB),perfluorocyclobutane (PECB), or a combination thereof, but it's notlimited thereto. In some embodiments, the inorganic material may includesilicon nitride, silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride, aluminum oxide(AlO_(x)), titanium oxide (TiO_(x)), or a combination thereof, but it'snot limited thereto. Moreover, the material of the first buffer layer106 may be the same as or different from the material of the secondbuffer layer 210.

Furthermore, the first buffer layer 106 and the second buffer layer 210may have a single-layer structure or a multilayer structure, forexample, the first buffer layer 106 and the second buffer layer 210 mayinclude a plurality of sublayers. In embodiments where the first bufferlayer 106 or the second buffer layer 210 includes a plurality ofsublayers, the material of each sublayer may be the same or different.

Further, in some embodiments, the electronic device 10A may furtherinclude a circuit layer 110 (refer to FIG. 11F). The circuit layer 110may be disposed between the first substrate 102 and the phase shifter104. In some embodiments, the circuit layer 110 may include a drivingelement (such as a thin film transistor) and a signal line electricallyconnected to the driving element. The signal line may include, forexample, a data line, a scan line (gate lines), etc.

Referring to FIG. 3, in some embodiments, the electronic device 10A mayfurther include a first alignment layer 108, the first alignment layer108 may be disposed between the phase shifter 104 and the liquid-crystallayer 300. In some embodiments, the first alignment layer 108 may bedisposed between the first buffer layer 106 and the liquid-crystal layer300. As shown in FIG. 3, in some embodiments, the first alignment layer108 may be conformally formed on the first buffer layer 106 and thephase shifter 104, but it's not limited thereto.

In addition, in some embodiments, the electronic device 10A may furtherinclude a second alignment layer 212, the second alignment layer 212 maybe disposed between the common electrode layer 208 and theliquid-crystal layer 300. In some embodiments, the second alignmentlayer 212 may be disposed between the dielectric layer 206 and theliquid-crystal layer 300. As shown in FIG. 3, in some embodiments, thesecond alignment layer 212 may be conformally formed on the commonelectrode layer 208 and the dielectric layer 206, but it's not limitedthereto. In some embodiments, the second alignment layer 212 may also beextended (or disposed) in the opening 208 p.

In some embodiments, the first alignment layer 108 and the secondalignment layer 212 may be used to help control the arrangementdirection of the liquid-crystal molecules in the liquid-crystal layer300. In some embodiments, the material of the first alignment layer 108and the second alignment layer 212 may include an organic material, aninorganic material, or a combination thereof. For example, the organicmaterial may include polyimide (PI), photoreactive polymer material, ora combination thereof, but it's not limited thereto. The inorganicmaterial may include, for example, SiO2, other materials having analignment capability, or a combination thereof, but it's not limitedthereto. In other embodiments, at least one of the first alignment layer108 and the second alignment layer 212 may be omitted, but it's notlimited thereto.

Next, FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the electronic device 10Bin accordance with other embodiments of the present disclosure. Itshould be understood that the same or similar components or elements inabove and below contexts are represented by the same or similarreference numerals. The materials, manufacturing methods and functionsof these components or elements are the same as or similar to thosedescribed above and thus will not be repeated below.

The electronic device 10B shown in FIG. 4 is similar to the electronicdevice 10A shown in FIG. 3, except that the second substrate 202 in theelectronic device 10B may be partially thinned. Specifically, in thisembodiment, the second substrate 202 may have a recess 202 r, and therecess 202 r may correspond to the patch 204. In some embodiments, therecess 202 r may overlap the patch 204 in a normal direction Z of thefirst substrate 102.

In some embodiments, the recess 202 r may be recessed a first distanced₁ in a direction from the outer side 202 b of the second substrate 202toward the inner side 202 a, and the first distance d₁ may be consideredas a depth of the recess 202 r. In some embodiments, the recess 202 rmay be formed on the inner side 202 a. In some embodiments, the firstdistance di may be less than the second thickness T₂ of the secondsubstrate 202. In some embodiments, the first distance d₁ may be equalto the second thickness T₂ of the second substrate 202, i.e. an openingis formed through the second substrate 202 and the opening exposes thesecond buffer layer 210 or the dielectric layer 206.

In addition, the recess 202 r may have a third width W₃. In someembodiments, the third width W₃ of the recess 202 r may be greater thanor equal to the first width W₁ of the patch 204. According to someembodiments of the present disclosure, the third width W₃ refers to themaximum width of the recess 202 r substantially in the X direction onany cross-section. Besides, in some embodiments, the area of the recess202 r may be greater than or equal to the area of the patch 204. Thearea refers to the bottom area of the recess 202 r and the patch 204 inaccordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

It should be noted that, according to some embodiments, the secondsubstrate 202 having a less thickness at a position corresponding to thepatch 204 may further reduce the dielectric loss of electromagneticwaves. Furthermore, it should be understood that although the figureillustrates the partially thinned second substrate 202, the secondsubstrate 202 may also be entirely thinned according to otherembodiments.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, in some embodiments, the electronicdevice 10B may further include a protection layer 214, the protectionlayer 214 may be disposed (or filled) in the recess 202 r. In someembodiments, the top surface 214 t of the protection layer 214 may belower than the outer side 202 b of the second substrate 202. In otherembodiments, the top surface 214 t of the protection layer 214 may besubstantially level with the outer side 202 b of the second substrate202. In an embodiment, the dielectric coefficient of the protectionlayer 214 may be different from the dielectric coefficient of the secondsubstrate 202. For example, the dielectric coefficient of the protectionlayer 214 is less than or equal to the dielectric coefficient of thesecond substrate 202. The dielectric loss of electromagnetic waves maybe reduced when the dielectric coefficient of the protection layer 214is less than or equal to that of the second substrate, but it is notlimited thereto.

In some embodiments, the material of the protection layer 214 mayinclude polyimide (PI), polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), polyethyleneterephthalate (PET), liquid-crystal polymer (LCP) material, polyethylene(PE), polyethersulfone (PES), polycarbonate (PC), isoprene,phenol-formaldehyde resin, benzocyclobutene (BCB), perfluorocyclobutane(PECB), or a combination thereof, but it's not limited thereto.

Next, FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the electronic device 10Cin accordance with other embodiments of the present disclosure. Theelectronic device 10C shown in FIG. 5 is similar to the electronicdevice 10A shown in FIG. 3, except that the electronic device 10C maynot have a second substrate 202. In this embodiment, the electronicdevice 10C may also not have a second buffer layer 210. In other words,in this embodiment, the outer side 206 b of the dielectric layer 206 andthe top surface 204 t of the patch 204 may be exposed to theenvironment.

In detail, in this embodiment, the electronic device 10C includes afirst substrate 102, a phase shifter 104, a dielectric layer 206, apatch 204, a common electrode layer 208, a liquid-crystal layer 300, afirst alignment layer 108, and a second alignment layer 212. Inaddition, the phase shifter 104 may be disposed on the first substrate102, the dielectric layer 206 may be disposed on the phase shifter 104,the patch 204 may be disposed in the dielectric layer 206, and thecommon electrode layer 208 may be disposed between the dielectric layer206 and the first substrate 102. Besides, the liquid-crystal layer 300may be disposed between the phase shifter 104 and the dielectric layer206, the first alignment layer 108 may be disposed between the phaseshifter 104 and the liquid-crystal layer 300, and the second alignmentlayer 212 may be disposed between the common electrode layer 208 and theliquid-crystal layer 300.

According to some embodiments, an electronic device 10C without a secondsubstrate 202 may reduce the thickness of the entire structure.Furthermore, in some embodiments, an electronic device 10C may not havea first substrate 102, and a protection layer may be optionally disposedunder the first buffer layer 106. Therefore, the electronic device 10Cmay be more flexible or plastic, which is advantageous to be mounted onthe surface of various devices.

Next, FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of the electronic device 10Din accordance with other embodiments of the present disclosure. Theelectronic device 10D shown in FIG. 6 is similar to the electronicdevice 10C shown in FIG. 5, except that the electronic device 10D mayfurther include a capping layer 216, the capping layer 216 may be incontact with the patch 204. The dielectric layer 206 may be disposedbetween the capping layer 216 and the common electrode layer 208. Inthis embodiment, the capping layer 216 may be disposed on the outer side206 b of the dielectric layer 206 to protect the patch 204.

In some embodiments, the material of the capping layer 216 may besimilar to the material of the protection layer 214, which will not bedescribed herein again.

Next, FIG. 7 shows a cross-sectional view of the electronic device 10Ein accordance with other embodiments of the present disclosure. Theelectronic device 10E shown in FIG. 7 is similar to the electronicdevice 10A shown in FIG. 3, except that the dielectric layer 206 may bepartially thinned in the electronic device 10E. Specifically, in thisembodiment, the dielectric layer 206 may further include a recess 206 r,and the recess 206 r may correspond to the patch 204. In someembodiments, the recess 206 r may overlap the patch 204 in a normaldirection Z of the first substrate 102.

In some embodiments, the recess 206 r may be recessed in a directionfrom the inner side 206 a of the dielectric layer 206 toward the outerside 206 b. In some embodiments, the thinned dielectric layer 206 (thedielectric layer 206 corresponding to the recess 206 r) may have athickness of T_(3a). In some embodiments, the thickness T_(3a) is lessthan the third thickness T₃ of the dielectric layer 206. Moreover,according to some embodiments of present disclosure, “the thicknessT_(3a)” refers to the minimum thickness of the thinned region of thedielectric layer 206 in a normal direction Z of the first substrate 102.In an embodiment, the thickness T_(3a) may be the minimum thickness ofthe dielectric layer 206 that does not overlap the patch 204.

In addition, the recess 206 r may have a four width W₄. In someembodiments, the fourth width W₄ of the recess 206 r may be greater thanor equal to the first width W₁ of the patch 204. According to someembodiments of the present disclosure, the fourth width W₄ may refer tothe maximum width of the recess 206 r on any cross-section substantiallyparallel to the recess direction of the opening 208 p (e.g., the Xdirection as shown in the figure, may also refer to FIG. 2).Furthermore, in some embodiments, the area of the recess 206 r may alsobe greater than or equal to the area of the patch 204. According to someembodiments of the present disclosure, the area refers to the top areaor bottom area of the recess 206 r and the patch 204.

It should be noted that, according to some embodiments, the dielectriclayer 206 having a recess 206 r at the position corresponding to thepatch 204 may improve electromagnetic radiation signals in theelectronic device 10E.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 7, in some embodiments, the second widthW₂ of the opening 208 p of the common electrode layer 208 may be greaterthan the fourth width W₄ of the recess 206 r. In some embodiments, therecess 206 r may also overlap the opening 208 p in a normal direction Zof the first substrate 102. In some embodiments, the opening 208 p andthe recess 206 r may form a stepped recess structure. In someembodiments, a second alignment layer 212 may be conformally extendedinto the opening 208 p and the recess 206 r to form a second alignmentlayer 212 with a stepped structure. In these embodiments, the steppedrecess structure formed by the opening 208 p and the recess 206 r mayreduce the probability of damage or deterioration of the secondalignment layer 212.

Next, FIG. 8 shows a cross-sectional view of the electronic device 10Fin accordance with other embodiments of the present disclosure. Theelectronic device 10F shown in FIG. 8 is similar to the electronicdevice 10E shown in FIG. 7, except that the dielectric layer 206 may bepartially thinned to expose at least a portion of the patch 204.Specifically, in this embodiment, the dielectric layer 206 may includean opening 206 p, and the opening 206 p may correspond to the patch 204.In some embodiments, the opening 206 p may overlap the patch 204 in anormal direction Z of the first substrate 102. In addition, the opening206 p may expose at least a portion of the patch 204.

In some embodiments, the opening 206 p may be extended in a directionfrom the inner side 206 a of the dielectric layer 206 toward the outerside 206 b. In some embodiments, the thinned dielectric layer 206 (thedielectric layer 206 corresponding to the opening 206 p) may have athickness T_(3b). In some embodiments, the thickness T_(3b) may be lessthan the third thickness T₃ of the dielectric layer 206. In thisembodiment, the thickness T_(3b) is substantially equal to the thicknessof the patch 204 (not shown). Moreover, according to some embodiments ofpresent disclosure, “the thickness T_(3b)” refers to the minimumthickness of the thinned region of the dielectric layer 206 in a normaldirection Z of the first substrate 102. In an embodiment, the thicknessT_(3b) may be the minimum thickness of the dielectric layer 206 thatdoes not overlap the patch 204.

In addition, the opening 206 p may have a fifth width W₅. In someembodiments, the fifth width W₅ of the opening 206 p may be greater thanor equal to the first width W₁ of the patch 204. According to someembodiments of the present disclosure, the fifth width W₅ may be themaximum width of the opening 206 p on any cross-section substantiallyparallel to the extension direction of the opening 208 p (e.g., the Xdirection as shown in the figure, may also refer to FIG. 2).Furthermore, in some embodiments, the area of the opening 206 p may begreater than or equal to the area of the patch 204. According to someembodiments of the present disclosure, the area refers to the top areaor bottom area of the opening 206 p and the patch 204.

It should be noted that, according to some embodiments, the dielectriclayer 206 having an opening 206 p at the position corresponding to thepatch 204 may improve electromagnetic radiation signals in theelectronic device 10F.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 8, in some embodiments, the second widthW₂ of the opening 208 p of the common electrode layer 208 may be greaterthan the fifth width W₅ of the opening 206 p. In some embodiments, theopening 206 p may also overlap the opening 208 p in a normal direction Zof the first substrate 102. In some embodiments, the opening 208 p andthe opening 206 p may form a stepped recess structure. In someembodiments, a second alignment layer 212 may be conformally extendedinto the opening 208 p and the opening 206 p to form a second alignmentlayer 212 having a stepped structure.

Next, FIG. 9 shows a cross-sectional view of the electronic device 10Gin accordance with other embodiments of the present disclosure. Theelectronic device 10G shown in FIG. 9 is similar to the electronicdevice 10A shown in FIG. 3, except that, in the electronic device 10G, aportion of the second buffer layer 210 is removed to form an opening 210p and the patch 204 may be disposed in the opening 210 p. Specifically,in this embodiment, the opening 210 p may overlap the patch 204 in anormal direction Z of the first substrate 102. In addition, in thisembodiment, the second buffer layer 210 may not overlap the patch 204 ina normal direction Z of the first substrate 102. In this embodiment, thepatch 204 may be in contact with the inner side 202 a of the secondsubstrate 202.

As shown in FIG. 9, the second buffer layer 210 and the patch 204 areseparated by a second distance d₂. In some embodiments, the seconddistance d₂ may range from 1 μm to 100 μm (1 μm≤the second distanced₂≤100 μm), or from 2 μm to 50 μm. For example, the second distance d₂may be 5 μm, 10 μm, 20 μm, 40 μm, 60 μm, or 80 μm. It should beunderstood that, if the second distance d₂ is too large, the coverage ofthe buffer layer 210 is low, and it would be difficult to reduce thedifference between the expansion coefficients; on the other hand, if thesecond distance d₂ is too short, then it would be difficult to disposethe patch 204 in the opening 210 p.

It should be noted that, according to some embodiments, the secondbuffer layer 210 may not be disposed on the position corresponding tothe patch 204, and thereby electromagnetic radiation signals of theelectronic device 10G of may be improved.

Next, FIG. 10 shows a cross-sectional view of the electronic device 10Hin accordance with other embodiments of the present disclosure. Theelectronic device 10H shown in FIG. 10 is similar to the electronicdevice 10A shown in FIG. 3, except that, in the electronic device 10H,the dielectric layer 206 may further include a plurality of voids 206 e.In this embodiment, the dielectric layer 206 may include voids 206 e,the voids 206 e can be used to accommodate gas generated by theelectronic device 10H in an operating environment of high temperature,and thereby the operational reliability of the electronic device 10H maybe improved.

Specifically, the voids 206 e may have a diameter D_(P). In someembodiments, the diameter H_(P) may range from 0.1 μm to 100 μm (0.1μm≤diameter D_(P)≤100 μm), from 0.5 μm to 90 μm, from 5 μm to 80 μm, orfrom 10 μm to 70 μm, for example, the diameter D_(P) may be 10 μm, 25μm, 40 μm, or 60 μm. According to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure, the diameter D_(P) may refer to the maximum width of thevoids 206 e on any cross-section substantially parallel to the extensiondirection of the opening 208 p (e.g., the X direction as shown in thefigure, may also refer to FIG. 2).

Next, FIGS. 11A-11H show cross-sectional views of intermediate stages inthe process of the electronic device 10A in accordance with someembodiments of the present disclosure. It should be understood that,according to some embodiments, additional operations can be providedbefore, during, and/or after the manufacturing method of the electronicdevice 10A is performed. According to some embodiments, some of thedescribed operations can be replaced or eliminated. According to someembodiments, the order of the described operations is interchangeable.

First, referring to FIG. 11A, a first substrate 102 is provided, andthen a phase shifter 104 is formed on the first substrate 102. Indetail, in some embodiments, a first conductive material may be formedon the first substrate 102 first, and then a portion of the conductivematerial is removed to pattern the conductive material, and thereby aphase shifter 104 is formed.

In some embodiments, the phase shifter 104 may be formed by a physicalvapor deposition (PVD) process, a chemical vapor deposition (CVD)process, an electroplating process, an electroless plating process,other suitable methods, or a combination thereof. The physical vapordeposition process may include, for example, a sputtering process, anevaporation process, or a pulsed laser deposition, but it's not limitedthereto. The chemical vapor deposition process may include, for example,a low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) process, a lowtemperature chemical vapor deposition (LTCVD) process, a rapid thermalchemical vapor deposition (RTCVD) process, a plasma enhanced chemicalvapor deposition (PECVD) process, an atomic layer deposition (ALD)process, etc., but it's not limited thereto.

In some embodiments, the phase shifter 104 may be formed by using apatterning process to remove a portion of the conductive material. Insome embodiments, the patterning process may include a photolithographicprocess and an etching process. The photolithography process may includephotoresist coating (such as spin coating), soft bake, hard bake, maskalignment, exposure, post-exposure bake, photoresist development,cleaning, drying, etc., but it's not limited thereto. The etchingprocess may include a dry etching process or a wet etching process, butit's not limited thereto.

As shown in FIG. 11A, in some embodiments, a first buffer layer 106 maybe further formed on the first substrate 102 before the phase shifter104 is formed on the first substrate 102, and the first buffer layer 106may be in contact with the first substrate 102.

In some embodiments, the first buffer layer 106 may be formed by thephysical vapor deposition process described above, the chemical vapordeposition process described above, a coating process, a printingprocess, other suitable processes, or a combination thereof.

Furthermore, in some embodiments, a circuit layer 110 may be formed onthe first buffer layer 106 before the phase shifter 104 is formed on thefirst substrate 102. As shown in FIG. 11A, the circuit layer 110 may beformed between the first substrate 102 and the phase shifter 104.

In some embodiments, the circuit layer 110 may be formed by a physicalvapor deposition process described above, a chemical vapor depositionprocess described above, an electroplating process, an electrolessplating process, other suitable methods, or a combination thereof. Inaddition, the circuit layer 110 may be patterned by one or morephotolithography processes and etching processes.

As shown in FIG. 11A, in some embodiments, a first alignment layer 108may be further formed on to the phase shifter 104 after the phaseshifter 104 is formed on the first substrate 102. In some embodiments,the first alignment layer 108 may be conformally formed on the phaseshifter 104.

In some embodiments, the first alignment layer 108 may be formed by thephysical vapor deposition process described above, the chemical vapordeposition process described above, a coating process, a printingprocess, other suitable processes, or a combination thereof.

Next, referring to FIG. 11B, a second substrate 202 is provided and apatch 204 is formed on the second substrate 202. In detail, in someembodiments, a conductive material may be formed on the second substrate202, and then a portion of the conductive material is removed to patternthe conductive material to form the patch 204.

In some embodiments, the patch 204 may be formed by the physical vapordeposition process described above, the chemical vapor depositionprocess described above, an electroplating process, an electrolessplating process, other suitable methods, or a combination thereof. Inaddition, the patch 204 may be patterned by one or more photolithographyprocesses and etching processes. In some embodiments, thephotolithography process may include photoresist coating (such as spincoating), soft bake, hard bake, mask alignment, exposure, post-exposurebake, photoresist development, cleaning, drying, etc., but it's notlimited thereto. In some embodiments, the etching process may include adry etching process or a wet etching process, but it's not limitedthereto.

As shown in FIG. 11B, in some embodiments, a second buffer layer 210 maybe further formed on the second substrate 202 before the patch 204 isformed on the second substrate 202, and the second buffer layer 210 maybe in contact with the second substrate 202.

In some embodiments, the second buffer layer 210 may be formed by thephysical vapor deposition process described above, the chemical vapordeposition process described above, a coating process, a printingprocess, other suitable processes, or a combination thereof.

Next, referring to FIG. 11C, a dielectric layer 206 is formed on thepatch 204 and also on the second substrate 202. As shown in FIG. 11C, insome embodiments, the dielectric layer 206 may be in contact with thepatch 204 and the second buffer layer 210.

In some embodiments, the dielectric layer 206 may be formed by thephysical vapor deposition process described above, the chemical vapordeposition process described above, a coating process, a printingprocess, other suitable processes, or a combination thereof.

Next, referring to FIG. 11D, a common electrode layer 208 is formed onthe dielectric layer 206, and the dielectric layer 206 is between thecommon electrode layer 208 and the second substrate 202. Specifically,in some embodiments, the common electrode layer 208 may be patterned tohave an opening 208 p. As described above, the patch 204 may have afirst width W₁, the opening 208 p of the common electrode layer 208 mayhave a second width W₂. In some embodiments, the second width W₂ may begreater than or equal to the first width W₁.

In some embodiments, the common electrode layer 208 may be formed by thephysical vapor deposition process described above, the chemical vapordeposition process described above, an electroplating process, anelectroless plating process, other suitable methods, or a combinationthereof. In addition, the common electrode layer 208 may be patterned byone or more photolithography processes and etching processes.

Next, referring to FIG. 11E, in some embodiments, a second alignmentlayer 212 may be further formed on the common electrode layer 208 afterthe common electrode layer 208 is formed on the dielectric layer 206. Insome embodiments, the second alignment layer 212 may be conformallyformed on the common electrode layer 208 and be conformally extended (orbe disposed) in the opening 208 p.

In some embodiments, the second alignment layer 212 may be formed by thephysical vapor deposition process described above, the chemical vapordeposition process described above, a coating process, a printingprocess, other suitable processes, or a combination thereof.

Next, referring to FIG. 11F, the first substrate 102 and the secondsubstrate 202 are assembled such that the patch 204 is on an inner side202 a of the second substrate 202, and the inner side 202 a faces thefirst substrate 102. In addition, a liquid-crystal layer 300 is formedbetween the first substrate 102 and the second substrate 202, and theliquid-crystal layer 300 may be between the phase shifter 104 and thecommon electrode layer 208.

In some embodiments, the liquid-crystal layer 300 may be formed by a onedrop filling (ODF) method before the first substrate 102 and the secondsubstrate 202 are assembled, or the liquid-crystal may be filled by avacuum injection method after the first substrate 102 and the secondsubstrate 202 are assembled, but the present disclosure is not limitedthereto.

Next, referring to FIG. 11G and FIG. 11H, in some embodiments, thesecond substrate 202 may be optionally removed to form an electronicdevice 10K after the liquid-crystal layer 300 is formed between thefirst substrate 102 and the second substrate 202. In some embodiments,the second buffer layer 210 may be exposed to the environment after thesecond substrate 202 is removed. In some embodiments, the second bufferlayer 210 may also be removed. Furthermore, a protection layer (notshown) may be formed on the patch 204 and the dielectric layer 206 afterthe second substrate 202 and/or the second buffer layer 210 is removed.

Next, referring to FIGS. 12A-12F which show cross-sectional views ofintermediate stages in the process of an electronic device 10E inaccordance with other embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 12A and 12B are similar to FIGS. 11A and 11B described above,which will not be described herein again. Next, referring to of FIG.12C, a dielectric layer 206 is formed on the patch 204, and thedielectric layer 206 is also formed on the second substrate 202. Asshown in FIG. 12C, in some embodiments, the dielectric layer 206 may bein contact with the patch 204 and the second buffer layer 210. In someembodiments, a portion of the dielectric layer 206 may be removed afterthe dielectric layer 206 is formed on the patch 204, and a portion ofthe removed dielectric layer 206 may correspond to the patch 204.

Specifically, in some embodiments, a portion of the dielectric layer 206may be removed to form a recess 206 r after the dielectric layer 206 isformed on the patch 204. For example, a recess 206 r may be formed by ahalf-tone mask or a gray tone mask exposure after developing and etchingsteps. In some embodiments, the recess 206 r may overlap the patch 204in a normal direction Z of the first substrate 102. In addition, asdescribed above, the recess 206 r may have a fourth width W₄. In someembodiments, the fourth width W₄ of the recess 206 r may be greater thanor equal to the first width W₁ of the patch 204.

In some embodiments, the dielectric layer 206 may be formed by thephysical vapor deposition process described above, the chemical vapordeposition process described above, a coating process, a printingprocess, other suitable processes, or a combination thereof. Inaddition, the dielectric layer 206 may be patterned by one or morephotolithography processes and etching processes to form the recess 206r. In other embodiments, the recess 206 r may be replaced by forming anopening 206 p as shown in FIG. 8 to expose at least a portion of thepatch 204.

Next, referring to FIG. 12D, a common electrode layer 208 is formed onthe dielectric layer 206, and the dielectric layer 206 is between thecommon electrode layer 208 and the second substrate 202. Specifically,in some embodiments, the common electrode layer 208 may be patterned tohave an opening 208 p. In some embodiments, the second width W₂ of theopening 208 p of the common electrode layer 208 may be greater than orequal to the first width W₁ of the patch 204. Furthermore, in someembodiments, the second width W₂ of the opening 208 p may be greaterthan or equal to the fourth width W₄ of the recess 206 r. In otherembodiments, the opening 208 p and the recess 206 r (or the opening 206p) may be formed sequentially after the dielectric layer 206 and thecommon electrode layer 208 are formed, but it's not limited thereto.

It should be noted that, in some embodiments, since the second width W₂of the opening 208 p is larger than the fourth width W₄ of the recess206 r, the opening 208 p and the recess 206 r form a stepped recessstructure, and thereby the risk of filling the common electrode layer208 in the recess 206 r due to the tolerances of the process may bereduced, or the difficulty of the process may be reduced.

In some embodiments, the common electrode layer 208 may be formed by thephysical vapor deposition process described above, the chemical vapordeposition process described above, an electroplating process, anelectroless plating process, other suitable methods, or a combinationthereof. In addition, the common electrode layer 208 may be patterned byone or more photolithography processes and etching processes to form anopening 208 p.

Next, referring to FIG. 12E, in some embodiments, a second alignmentlayer 212 may be further formed on the common electrode layer 208 afterthe common electrode layer 208 is formed on the dielectric layer 206. Insome embodiments, the second alignment layer 212 may be conformallyformed on the common electrode layer 208 and be conformally extended (orbe disposed) in the recess 206 r and the opening 208 p.

In some embodiments, the second alignment layer 212 may be formed by thephysical vapor deposition process described above, the chemical vapordeposition process described above, a coating process, a printingprocess, other suitable processes, or a combination thereof.

Next, referring to FIG. 12F, the first substrate 102 and the secondsubstrate 202 are assembled such that the patch 204 is on an inner side202 a of the second substrate 202, and the inner side 202 a faces thefirst substrate 102. In addition, a liquid-crystal layer 300 is formedbetween the first substrate 102 and the second substrate 202, and theliquid-crystal layer 300 is between the phase shifter 104 and the commonelectrode layer 208

In some embodiments, the liquid-crystal layer 300 may be formed by a onedrop filling method before the first substrate 102 and the secondsubstrate 202 are assembled, or the liquid-crystal may be filled by avacuum injection method after the first substrate 102 and the secondsubstrate 202 are assembled, but the present disclosure is not limitedthereto.

In summary, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, theprovided manufacturing method of an electronic device may form a patchand a common electrode on the same side (single side) of a substrate.Compared with the process of forming metal layers on both sides of thesubstrate, the provided method may reduce the risk of deterioration ofmodulation materials or substrate cracks due to the processingtemperature, but it's not limited thereto. Furthermore, according tosome embodiments of the present disclosure, the electronic device formedby the manufacturing method may reduce the dielectric loss ofelectromagnetic waves or improve operational reliability.

Although some embodiments of the present disclosure and their advantageshave been described in detail, it should be understood that variouschanges, substitutions and alterations can be made herein withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by theappended claims. Moreover, the scope of the present application is notintended to be limited to the particular embodiments of the process,machine, manufacture, composition of matter, means, methods and stepsdescribed in the specification. As one of ordinary skill in the art willreadily appreciate from the present disclosure, processes, machines,manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps, presentlyexisting or later to be developed, that perform substantially the samefunction or achieve substantially the same result as the correspondingembodiments described herein may be utilized according to the presentdisclosure. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to includewithin their scope such processes, machines, manufacture, compositionsof matter, means, methods, or steps. In addition, each claim constitutesan individual embodiment, and the claimed scope of the presentdisclosure also includes the combinations of the claims and embodiments.The features of the various embodiments can be used in any combinationas long as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the presentdisclosure. The scope of protection of present disclosure is subject tothe definition of the scope of the appended claims. Any embodiment orclaim of the present disclosure does not need to achieve all thepurposes, advantages, and features of the disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electronic device, comprising: a firstsubstrate; a plurality of phase shifters disposed on the firstsubstrate; a second substrate having an inner side facing the firstsubstrate; a plurality of patches disposed on the inner side of thesecond substrate; a common electrode layer; a dielectric layer disposedbetween the common electrode layer and the second substrate and on theplurality of patches; and a liquid-crystal layer disposed between theplurality of phase shifters and the common electrode layer.
 2. Theelectronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a thickness of thedielectric layer is greater than or equal to 5 μm and less than or equalto a thickness of the second substrate.
 3. The electronic device asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the dielectric layer is a multilayerstructure.
 4. The electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein thedielectric layer comprises at least one polyimide film.
 5. Theelectronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the dielectric layercomprises a recess corresponding to at least one of the plurality ofpatches.
 6. The electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein thedielectric layer comprises an opening corresponding to at least one ofthe plurality of patches.
 7. The electronic device as claimed in claim6, wherein the opening exposes at least a portion of the at least one ofthe plurality of patches.